Adolescent medicine

We know that the teenage years can be an exciting and difficult time in a child's life, with special health risks and problems. That's why we developed the Adolescent Care Clinic, to give teens (between the ages of 10 and 21 years) the specialized, comprehensive care they need.

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About us

Our team of physicians, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, and psychologists has expertise in a wide range of adolescent concerns. We treat every patient as a unique person with unique needs - emotional, physical and psychological.

The Adolescent Medicine Obesity Clinic and General Academics Pediatrics High BMI Diagnostic Clinic provide body mass index evaluations for kids and adolescents who are overweight or obese. Services include:

Comprehensive physical exam

Detailed family, dietary and activity history

Screening for complications associated with obesity

A physician is on call in the evenings and weekends.

We provide counseling for the following:

Nutrition counseling

Weight management

Fitness consultation

Eating disorders

Substance abuse

Depression

Behavioral problems

Learning disorders

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Gynecological care

Our gynecological care also counsels teens and encourages them to maintain a healthy lifestyle, avoiding risky behaviors and postponing sexual activity. Some of the services we provide include:

Pregnancy tests

Reproductive care

Colposcopy

Pap Smear

Other services

Young Parents Program - special clinic designed to care for both the young mother and her child in the same appointment

Management of diabetes, asthma and other chronic illnesses

We also offer physical exams for camp, sports and employment

Sexual abuse/rape evaluation and treatment

The teenage years can be fun and exciting, but teens searching for independence may experiment with alcohol, drugs and sex. These behaviors can have long-lasting and serious affects on your child's physical and emotional health including drug addiction, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs like Chlamydia, AIDS and gonorrhea) or potentially fatal accidents.

It's important to talk honestly to teenagers about the risks. Our counselors are experts at communicating with teens and will work with you and your family to help with any special concerns you might have. We believe that the most important people in a teen's life are his family and we encourage parents to be actively involved in their child's life.

We respect the privacy of your teenager and your family. You can be sure that all discussions and care, especially in respect to STDs, drug use, and birth control, are absolutely confidential. UK Children's Hospital has a very strict privacy policy that insures no one from our team or the hospital will ever reveal information about your family.

Partnership

UK Adolescent Behavioral Health, located in Lexington, Ky, is a 10-bed inpatient program that offers a personal, structured environment for adolescents with mental illness or behavioral health problems. The unit’s team of psychiatrists, nurses and staff work together to identify the cause of the behavioral problems and provide treatment.

Staff from both units work closely together to make the transition to inpatient care as simple and easy as possible for both patients and their families.